What teenagers wish they knew, but don't know they want to know it

My friend Darin and I took seven of the young men on a campout last night meant to be a practice prior to our High Adventure trip next month. Camping was fun, despite the outragous heat. The main point to the overnight was a 4.5 mile hike we would do this morning. We have an 8.7 mile hike planned for one day on our High Adventure, so we wanted to take the boys on a psudeo-rigerous hike to test their stamina. Below is a listing of things I am hoping they learned this morning. They're things they need to know, but of course they're too cool and smart to listen to me. Hopefully they figured it out on their own. If not, they're going to be in for a rude awakening on our trip next month.

• I know this one will sound silly, but spending one's summer days on the couch playing X-Box games does NOT count as physical activity.
• Running up a rocky hill might not be the smartest thing because the rocks are loose and one could get hurt. Unfortunately for one boy, he figured this one out on his own. Too bad he figured it out 1/2 mile into the 4.5 mile hike. YES, we made sure he was ok before pushing on.
• Yes, yes they look cool, but soccer cleats are NOT the best choice for a rugged hike. Despite fair warning to bring hiking boots or sturdy shoes, four of the seven showed up in soccer cleats.
• The coolest spots on a hike through nature are NOT the ones where they get five bars on their cell phones. We forgot to do the pre-departure contraband shake-down.
• And finally, guys in their thirties really are smarter than they look.